The meeting has been called to order.

Michael [missed last name], public commenter: "I'm really not for the ShotSpotter, but the same time, it's incompetent to have nothing to replace it."

He also criticized the alderpeople for a lack of in-person outreach outside of election season. "We need people on the doorsteps." He also said an increase in police patrols for non-emergency situations is needed.

George Blakemore, public commenter: Committee meetings are a "pony show" because multiple are occurring at the same time so it's impossible to attend them all. He said "this is a broken system" and dared the alderpeople to throw him out. "It's evil. It's corrupt. All of you."

Zoe Lee, public commenter: "You're not going to be able to push a socialist agenda in a capitalist society. The issue is the 'defund the police movement," which Lee said was connected to the "Hispanic KKK" who "didn't want police to do their job and arrest criminals."

Lee's concerns about 'defund the police' are likely in response to the end of the city's contract with ShotSpotter. blockclubchicago.org/2024/09/23/as-…

Jessica Jackson, public commenter: "As the head is, there goes the body. We have a corrupt, vindictive, and retaliatory head in the form of Mayor Brandon Johnson. He dictates what everybody does."

The public comment section has concluded.

Sergeant Jason Wood from the Oakbrook Police Department will present on StarChase, which is a "pursuit mitigation tool" that shoots GPS-tagged darts to track suspects' locations.

StarChase can be used when car chases would be unsafe or aren't permitted, Wood said. The Oakbrook Police Department has been using it for "a few years."

"It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than a possible lawsuit."

The tags can be removed manually, Wood said, but the police department has had an "85-90% success rate when a tag is actually affixed"—it's rare for suspects to pull a tag off mid-chase.

The short battery life of the tags (about 8 hours) avoids legal issues associated with long-term location tracking, Wood said.

Alderperson Anthony Napolitano: "Really important technology." Can you share location tracking ability with agencies in surrounding municipalities? Wood: Yes.

Vice Mayor Walter Burnett Jr.: "This is a fantastic product. The only thing that concerns me is, can you be accused of racial profiling with it?" Wood: "You can always be accused of that...We're able to covert follow cars and then follow without them realizing we're there."

There are both vehicle-mounted and handheld versions of the launcher that releases the GPS-tagged devices.

Wood: we use this technology on almost a weekly basis.

Wood, in response to a question from Alderperson Desmon Yancy: StarChase has not been challenged in court in Illinois.

Wood: Police officers attempt to recover used tags based on last location, but they do not recover and reuse all of them.

In response to a question about uses in cases where a crime was not committed: "fleeing from a police car constitutes the conditions for using StarChase," but if the car stops voluntarily, "no harm, no foul."

Alderperson Peter Chico: Oakbrook uses this tool primarily at one centralized location (the Oakbrook Shopping Center). Chicago would have a very different approach.

Chico: How often do accidents happen? Wood: We've had zero collisions while using StarChase.

Alderperson Jessica Fuentes: has StarChase caused any property damage? Wood: "You're not going to deploy this on a person ever." Under some circumstances, it can cause damage comparable to a golf ball.

Sergeant Mark Spinrosa [unsure of name spelling]: Drones are "the future of law enforcement," due to the low costs and "essentially unlimited benefits" such as speed, safety of officers, and increased knowledge provided to the police department.

Drones decrease use of force incidents, Spinrosa said. They're most commonly used for terrorism threats, missing persons cases, 911 calls, and special events (such as the DNC).

CPD currently has 3 licensed drone pilots.

Many Lollapalooza attendees called to notify the police of people on rooftops, and police monitored them with drones.

Spinrosa attributed the 50% decrease in use of force incidents associated with drones to "increased situational awareness" and fewer perception-based mistakes (such as mistaking harmless objects for weapons).

"We have 5 drones. We're proud of those drones," but other cities have more drones (e.g. NYC has 55), so "we're a bit behind the curve," Spinrosa said.

He expects drones to help with recruitment because people will think being hired as a drone pilot is "exciting."

Spinrosa: Drone battery lasts 30 min. Drones are functional in cold weather, heavy wind, and light rain.

The cameras are "the best available," with thermal and magnification abilities.

NYPD uses drones to spot distressed swimmers, Spinrosa said. "The possibilities of that really excite me."

The police department is hoping to increase the number of drone-operating officers from 3 to 12.

The drone segment of the police department is "bootstrapped," Spinrosa said. They're hoping to increase funding next budget season.

In response to a question about tracking: "We take concerns very seriously. We would not want to violate anybody's rights. We only use drones in public settings where there's no expectation of property," Spinrosa said.

The alderperson (who is not visible on-screen) repeated their question. Spinrosa: "We do not retain video unless a crime was committed. Then, we're required to notify the state attorney's office."

The meeting is adjourned.